Angry at management (Job interview related)

RastaManBob · 18 May 2009 at 12:40

My girlfriend has almost finished University and is considering becoming a teacher. In the meantime, or at least during summer, she is after getting some work to keep things ticking over. For this reason none of the jobs she applied for are graduate level and some are only part time.

On her application form she always stated that she would be available for work beginning in June (As she has one final exam left). She also stated she would require the date of her graduation to be available.

One interview last week probed the start date question a little further and asked if there was any chance of starting earlier. She responded that there might be however she would certainly not be available for work until after her exam.

Fast forward today and she was happy to receive a phone call thanking her for her application and pleased to inform her she had passed the interview and they would like her to complete a two week trial (In essence, they alluded that she had got the job, as you can imagine). The manager then asked for her to come in tomorrow to begin this trial. My girlfriend explained that she was not available for work and had explained this throughout the interview process (Both on application and interview). The manager kept pushing for her to start sooner and my girlfriend said that she could compromise and do a half-day, to be shown around etc, early this week (Her exam is at the end of this week), which the manager accepted. The manager then questioned when her exam was and stated she must come in immediately after her exam. My girlfriend continued and re-iterated that she was not fully available for employment until after the date of her exam.

Eventually, the manager said he was not aware that she had ever said she was unavailable until June, nor that she had further explained she would certainly not be available until after the exam. My girlfriend insisted she had and when he checked the application once more the manager did confirm that he had missed it. He then said he would have to go and speak to this wife

confused

and ring my girlfriend back.

When he rang back he informed my girlfriend that the offer of employment was retracted, as she was unavailable.

This has annoyed me a great deal, stringing somebody along. From the first contact they were fully informed of available dates yet still continued with the application process - Why continue the process if you know the applicant is unavailable to meet the dates you require? And to then offer employment only to take it back seems incredibly unfair... It is not like my girlfriend had changed her story.

I am aware that due to the current economic climate getting a job is difficult and other people have it worse (Being laid off, etc) but this poor management really gets to me. If cost cutting is so key, maybe the top bods should consider how well lower-level management are doing themselves before laying off everybody else. :mad:

Sorry to rant, but I feel incredibly sorry for my girlfriend who is now quite upset by being messed around with... I understand there is nothing to stop somebody acting in this way, but the whole affair does grind me a little.

Streeteh · 18 May 2009 at 12:45

Sadly these things happen. I remember a few years back when i was interviewing to work at Thorpe Park for a second summer. The rides manager did a one on one interview which he ended with 'Well, we'll see you in the summer, we'll call you with your start date'.

Summer came, no phonecall, i ended up calling Thorpe myself to be told 'You aren't scheduled to work for us this summer'.

Dark_Angel · 18 May 2009 at 12:45

Seems very unreasonable to me on behalf of the company.

If she had been clear it was entirely on their "heads" to realize this and make their plans accordingly.

Then again, she has one comfort - it is better she realizes what they are like now rather than start working there and realize that they don't know if they are coming or going.

While it may not make her feel better at the moment, she should feel happy that she got the job basically and therefore is very employable, and take comfort in the fact that the employer probably isn't a great company to work for.

Raumarik · 18 May 2009 at 13:22

frakker said:
Probably a blessing in disguise to be honest. The manager sounds like a complete moron.

Or the company wouldn't have been worth working for anyway, chances are she'd find that any information relating to her graduation and needing the day free would also have vanished.

Blessing in disguise - she'll get something better

AtreuS · 18 May 2009 at 14:12

This kind of crap happens all the time with small and even larger business jobs. The "managers" generally cant be bothered to read all the details of someone and just ignore all notes made by the interviewer.

I went for a night shelf stacking job at tesco last year to fit round my self employment. I do a few days at week at primary schools, and of course my other jobs when they come up. I was finding i had a fair amount of free time and i wanted a flexible temp job to fit round my time and earn me a few quid for home diy jobs etc.

I explained all this about 10 times to various people during the interview process and lo and behold, i get offered work and told... here is your rota, its non flexible and non negotiable. I was told time and time again that my work would be very flexible and i could do shifts of my choosing to work around my other commitments.

SO they wasted all that time interviewing me and it ended up being a waste of both mine and thier time. I assume the shop floor manager who actually decided rotas was unaware they the clowns in HR were telling me all sorts. :mad:

I generally find any job offer that says "flexible" means exactly the opposite. It means YOU have to be flexible around them... which is fair enough if its advertised as such but not when its missold to you.

Mr Jack · 18 May 2009 at 14:15

In my experience, companies are universally incapable of understanding the concept of an "available from" date.

CaptainComedy · 18 May 2009 at 14:47

hehe incompetancy at its best!

DB_SamX · 18 May 2009 at 16:33

May I suggest writing a polite complaint letter to someone higher in the food chain. Whilst it may on one hand burn bridges, it could, if written politely enough, actually make take notice that she is pro-active. I am sure the manager who interviewed her would not be best pleased, but maybe she doesn't have to work in his team. I doubt long term chances of getting a job with that company will be affected; they'll most likely have forgotten about her, if their record keeping is as bad as their attention.

Scrutinize · 18 May 2009 at 16:58

DB_SamX said:
May I suggest writing a polite complaint letter to someone higher in the food chain. Whilst it may on one hand burn bridges, it could, if written politely enough, actually make take notice that she is pro-active. I am sure the manager who interviewed her would not be best pleased, but maybe she doesn't have to work in his team. I doubt long term chances of getting a job with that company will be affected; they'll most likely have forgotten about her, if their record keeping is as bad as their attention.

This, but rather than write it as a complaint, word it as 'it was a disappointment' to be successful in the interviews and have difficulties in agreeing a start date etc.

Putting a positive spin on it would be proactive, just a complaint will do nothing and management will, as always close ranks.

DB_SamX · 18 May 2009 at 19:57

mrk1@1 said:
This, but rather than write it as a complaint, word it as 'it was a disappointment' to be successful in the interviews and have difficulties in agreeing a start date etc.

Putting a positive spin on it would be proactive, just a complaint will do nothing and management will, as always close ranks.

Better indeed.